London and Europe are getting a new £500m tech startup VC fund as Chinese-backed Cocoon Networks launches January 19, 2016 London's tech startups are set for a new injection of cash worth as much as half a billion pounds as a new Chinese-backed venture capital fund launches. Private equity firms China Equity Group and Hanxin Capital will launch Cocoon Networks with £500m to invest in UK and European tech companies which show potential for success in China. The wide-ranging fund will span fintech, biotech, medical devices [...]
Fintech firms falling behind FTSE 100 firms on boardroom diversity with less than one in ten female directors January 18, 2016 Fintech firms may be leading the City when it comes to developing financial innovations, but when it comes to boardroom diversity, they’re falling far behind. The UK’s top 50 fintech firms have just nine per cent women on their boards, research by recruitment firm Astbury Marsden reveals. This makes them three times less diverse than [...]
Davos 2016: Why fintech innovation has put us on the brink of a “fourth industrial revolution” January 18, 2016 Most of us will associate the term “industrial revolution” with images of the smog, steam and clanking heavy machinery that transformed society in the 19th century. Since then, society has witnessed two more industrial revolutions, advances in electronics and IT, and now economists are heralding the advent of the “fourth industrial revolution”. This new industrial [...]
Fintech is about to lead the financial services sector into a new era January 18, 2016 I have been leading our firm's involvement in the CBI/PwC Financial Services Survey for several years now. It has been very interesting to see the ebb and flow of the financial services sector during this period. I have observed the doom and gloom of the financial crisis, the spike of optimism shortly after, the reality [...]
Tech City UK: What London needs from the next mayor January 15, 2016 The race to become London’s next mayor has begun, and now more than ever we need a tech champion at the controls in City Hall. London is unquestionably the digital capital of Europe. Our fintech pioneers, app developers and software innovators are re-defining city life. Digital businesses employ over 250,000 people in the capital alone. [...]
Interest rates, a Fintech revolution and more investment in the UK: what former Lord Mayor Roger Gifford predicts for Canada January 6, 2016 Sir Roger Gifford, member of Multrees Investor Services Board and former Lord Mayor of London, tells Morning Wire what he expects for Canada in 2016. The Fintech revolution The importance of Fintech to London can perhaps be seen most clearly through the 44,000 plus people who are employed in the sector – [...]
UK attracts record £2.46bn of venture capital investment into tech and London secures more than 60 per cent of the funding January 6, 2016 Venture capitalists invested a record $3.6bn (£2.46bn) in the UK's tech scene in 2015, up 70 per cent from the year before, according to data from London and Partners, the Mayor’s promotional company. London-based crowdfunding company, Funding Circle secured the largest single deal of the year with a $150m funding round led by DST Global in April [...]
Blockchain will lead the field in another record breaking year for UK tech investment January 6, 2016 2015 was another record year for investment into the UK’s tech sector. According to our latest data released today, London tech companies are leading the way, attracting over 60 per cent of the total $3.6bn invested last year. Investors are flocking to London, attracted by the city’s diverse tech scene. From fashion tech to fintech, the [...]
Record venture capital investment into London tech companies reaches £1.56bn January 5, 2016 Venture capitalists poured a record $2.28bn (£1.56bn) into London’s tech scene last year, according to data from London and Partners, the Mayor’s promotional company. London secured 63 per cent of investment in the UK, which is a testament to London's “world-class talent pool and culture of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit,” according to Mayor Boris Johnson. [...]
The payment buzzwords to expect in 2016: Wearables, biometrics and banking APIs December 30, 2015 As the new year approaches and the retro reviews for 2015 and predictions for next year start to fill my Twitter feed. I take a look back at the year and put out my early calls on what 2016 will have on the books (or is that on your device, or is that in your Virtual Reality [...]